Shae Hughes Reading Response #6
Computer games of now day’s era seemed to be thrust into the direction of the male population. Though the male gender may be diamond in the eye of computer marketers, it is not only men that are allowed to use them in an off work bases. Cynthia L. Selfe writes and essay about the technological era of what she calls the “Global Village.” The view that by using technology we can get rid of diversity, racism and separation. More basically be accepted all as one. Within this essay she begins to explain about how the, “Un-Gendered Utopia”, a belief that Americans want to see that women are no lower than men in the technological age, but a utopia none the less. “….women use technology within a clearly constrained set of appropriate settings: to enrich the lives of their family and to meet their responsibilities at home-as wife, as mother, as seductress, as lover…,” she pushes her tone towards the utopia debate. “Men, in contrast, use computers at home to expand their personal horizons beyond current limits-for excitement, for challenge, to enhance their own private lives as explorers pioneers and builders.” Selfe is depicting the revised narrative of how common Americans actually view the genders and their use of technology. As a mother of children and a spouse to a working husband, women are use technology for their at home use only, such as finding recipes and tips on how to make the perfect meal. The father or more viewed as the money maker, uses this technology for personal gain and enjoyment, maybe playing a video game after a relaxing day of work.
I think that Selfe is mistaken because she overlooks how women are now a standing role in society, maybe not as much as men but have the same overbearing presence that they are there. Maybe it is due to the feminist ideals and motivations that causes her to lean toward this myth that women are still supremely unequal being to that of men. A working man once had the opposition standing at him to be only that of other white males. Where he could go in not having to worry about the mother of the neighbors kids butting in to take the job that he needs. Now in this day and era, men must go in to the battle of employment armed with weapons that are able to compete with every race but importantly gender. As male competing for jobs I look no less on the females ability to be chosen above me. As Selfe throws around the above belief that women are viewed as not using technology for the meaning of work is no more viable evidence than the word of a drunken bum. A very vast majority of jobs require the use of computers, whether it be cash registers or making excel documents to show the CEO of the head corporation. With the use of such technology and women being such an equal employee as men, this claim cannot be considered true. Even in the career areas where one would think that only men should be, such as a security guard where I work, why then is my boss female.